Civilian Deaths in Afghanistan Jeopardize Support for Allies

A US marine with 1/3 Charlie Company battles Taliban as plumes from marine artillery shells billow in the background in the North East of Marjah on February 12, 2010.
(Getty Images)

A NATO airstrike mistakenly killed 27 Afghan civilians in Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan, Sunday. NATO apologized for the incident, but experts worry about the effects of this kind of event on the local populace. It was the third such incident by NATO in Afghanistan.

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The recent incident is not just something new. This is one among a series of mishaps that have occurred from 2001 onwards, and we are fast losing the trust of Afghans.

To find out exactly what happened, we go live to Kabul to New York Times foreign correspondent Rod Nordland. We also hear from Nadir Atash, who says that this incident could be used as a recruiting tool by the Taliban.